French woman seeks relatives of Pa. WWII soldier

Cemetery of soldiers of the Allied army who fell during the military operation in Normandy, France in 1944. [BIGSTOCK IMAGE]▲

A young French woman who cares for the grave of a Swoyersville soldier killed during World War II is in search of his relatives.

Joseph Drobenak died on Aug. 7, 1944, during the Battle of Normandy, two months after the massive Allied offensive launched. He's laid to rest in a cemetery in Normandy, France.

For the past five years, local villager Cecile Combes, 25, has cared for his grave and several others. She is part of an organization that takes care of graves of fallen American troops.

"If I do not bring them flowers, nobody will, and I think it is unfair. Joseph deserves to receive flowers. Every soldier deserves it," Combes wrote in a email to The Citizens' Voice.

Combes recently sent a private message to a Facebook page for Swoyersville Borough and the message was later publicly posted on the page.

Combes asked for any relatives to reach out to her. She wants to arrange for them to visit Normandy one day. She's hoping they could provide a photo so she could put a face to the name.

So far, no relatives have come forward, borough officials said.

"My most precious dream is to see his face and to bring his relatives to Saint James Cemetery, so we could visit Joseph together," Combes wrote.

The cemetery is formally known as the Brittany American Cemetery and Memorial, the final resting place for 4,409 American war dead.

The organization Combes belongs to — Les Fleurs de la Mémoire — requires participants to bring flowers to their veteran's grave just once a year.

Combes, who works for fashion designer Louis Vuitton's company, said she brings Drobenak flowers at least once a month. She regularly cleans the cross that marks his final resting place. Her last visit was Monday.

Combes feels a closeness to Drobenak despite not knowing much about him or what he looked like.

"I like to speak to him. I sit down in front of him and I tell him everything. Even if we never met, I feel like he is always with me, like a Guardian Angel. I take care of him and I like to think he takes care of me from Heaven," Combes wrote.

Combes is a World War II reenactor and likes playing the role of Americans.

She said both of her grandmothers told her stories about their villages being occupied by Nazis from Germany during the war. She said she appreciates the sacrifices Americans, like Drobenak, made to allow her to live in freedom today.

"I grew up listening to many stories about Americans. America sent its children overseas to defeat the Nazis and to bring peace in Europe. They liberated us," Combes wrote. "Young men died for us. We are free thanks to their sacrifice. Those young men deserve to be remembered and honored."

If you knew or are a relative of Joseph Drobenak please contact Bob Kalinowski at 570-821-2055.

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